YORKTOWN, Va., May 15, 2012 – As part of the Joining Forces initiative to support our nation’s service members and their families, several U.S. government agencies will announce an annual pass to active duty service members and their dependents, granting free access to more than 2,000 national parks, wildlife refuges, national forests, and other public lands around the nation in the coming years.

“First Lady Michelle Obama and I started the Joining Forces initiative last year as a way to honor, recognize and support our veterans and military families,” said Dr. Jill Biden. “This effort is a wonderful way to give something back, giving our military men and women and their families a chance to reconnect with their loved ones, experience the beauty of this country, and simply have a little fun.”

Beginning on Armed Forces Day on May 19, active duty service men and women – Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and activated National Guard and Reserves – can obtain the new military version of the America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreation Lands Annual Pass.  The pass will be accepted at National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Army Corps sites that charge entrance or standard amenity fees.

The initiative was announced today during a ceremony at Colonial National Historical Park in Yorktown, Virginia where Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Director of the National Park Service Jonathan B. Jarvis and Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) Jo-Ellen Darcy distributed the first passes to one member from each of the military’s five branches.

“Our nation owes a debt of gratitude to our service men and -women who make great sacrifices and put their lives on the lines to protect our country and preserve our freedom,” Secretary Salazar said. “In recognition of their contributions and service, we are putting out a welcome mat for these brave men and women and their families at America’s most beautiful and storied sites.”

“Our country’s iconic memorials, open spaces, and majestic landscapes provide inspiration for those serving in the military, especially those far from home,” said Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, whose agency oversees national forests. “In appreciation for their service, we want to encourage these men and women and their families to visit and enjoy America’s wondrous lands and waterways.”

“Our soldiers, sailors and airmen give so much to this country.  The federal family is honored to thank them for their service by offering them an opportunity to visit the natural resources that they defend,” said Assistant Secretary Darcy. “The Corps is proud to be participating in the program by accepting the America the Beautiful Military Pass at Corps recreation facilities.”

Military members and their dependents can pick up a pass at any national park or wildlife refuge that charges an entrance fee or other selected sites. Members must show a current, valid military identification card to obtain their pass. The pass is also available to dependents of active duty personnel. A list of participating sites is available here.

Today’s announcement complements the Joining Forces Initiative launched by the First Lady and Dr. Biden, a national initiative to mobilize all sectors of society to give service members and families the opportunities and support they have earned.  In just its first year, Joining Forces has rallied American businesses to hire tens of thousands of veterans and military spouses, schools have improved educational opportunities for military children, and the medical community has vowed better care for military families.

Where there are entrance fees, the pass covers the owner and accompanying passengers in a single, private, non-commercial vehicle at recreation sites that charge per vehicle. At sites where per-person entrance fees are charged, it covers the pass owner and three accompanying adults age 16 and older. There is no entry fee for children 15 and under.

While the pass is not available to veterans and retirees, many of these individuals are eligible for other discounted passes, such as the Senior Pass, granting lifetime access to U.S. citizens over 62 for $10, and the Access Pass granting free lifetime access for permanently disabled U.S. citizens.

For more information on the pass, please visit: http://store.usgs.gov/pass/index.html.

Canada, Russia, Germany, South Korea, Brazil, and China were countries who showed great interest in our area. In fact, we are expecting some bus tours to change their itinerary to include a trip to Kernville in the near future. With international travel to the U.S. up in some countries by over 30%, California is on the edge of attracting many of these visitors, and to real adventures. They have already been to Disneyland and now they want to experience what you and I enjoy firsthand, here in Kernville and the Kern River Valley.

The Kernville Chamber is looking forward to preparing our presentation for Las Vegas next year, and have already committed verbally to it. Our budget will be over $7000.00, if we get our reservation in by May 31st of this year. Consequently, we are asking businesses to sponsor a $100.00 tax deductible donation to help offset some of the cost of promoting our Valley and entice these international travelers to this area in the coming years.

With the dam and water issues looming close, we don’t know what our future has in store as far as the visitor is concerned. They are interested in fishing, whitewater rafting, Trail of 100 Giants, biking, birding, museum, team building, antiques from the American wild west, and the many other adventures we have to offer them.

Please help us bring business to our community. It can only help the whole Valley. Your tax-deductible check can be made out to Kernville Community Events and Projects or KCEP.

Thank you for your participation!

With the appeal of over $250,000 in prizes, the 23rd Annual Isabella Lake Fishing Derby sponsored by Berkley & Shakespeare, is on track to be one of the best ever!

Berkley & Shakespeare will sponsor two of the ten $10,000 tagged trout for this event not only appears to be where we left off, but some fun additions to this year will make this year’s event fun for all involved. In addition, the Kern River Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a trout worth $20,000.  Adding even more to the prize payout, if the $20,000 Chamber of Commerce fish is caught while the lucky angler is wearing an “official” 2012 Isabella Lake Fishing Derby T-shirt or Hoodie, the prize will be doubled to $40,000.

Last week, the California Department of Fish & Game came out to check the derby trout, part of the process is to weigh the fish, provide fish rearing expertise and pathology services in case of disease outbreaks or other problems associated with the trout in the derby net pens.  The fish were given a clean bill of health, and the weight of the trout was surprising.  The fish at time of the weigh-in came in at an average of 1 ½ lbs, with a good number tipping the scale at over 2 ½ lbs.

This also marks the second year Berkley will be involved with the Isabella Lake Fishing Derby as a major sponsor.  Bob Hoose, Field Marketing Manager for Berkley stated, “Members of the Berkley pro staff will be on site to help anglers and provide helpful tips. They will also have Berkley products for display, giving anglers a unique chance to see the newest products available.”

Anglers are also invited to stop by the Berkley booth and put their angling skill on the Berkley Knot Tying machine. Berkley pros will be on hand to field questions and lend some helpful fishing tips, and the Berkley team will be walking the shoreline and out on the water with Berkley prizes for anglers.

Countless participants look forward to this annual event.  One dedicated derby goer, Anita Bartlett, of Quartz Hill, CA, has some fond memories of the derby, “My husband and I have been going to the derby every year since 2007, he actually proposed at the derby in 2009.  It’s something special that we do together, or with friends, every year.  She also shared, “This year, the derby actually takes place on my birthday, so I am super excited to go. The fact that I usually catch more fish than all the guys combined, and that my husband proposed there makes it a very special time for all of us.”

With the 2012 Isabella Lake Fishing Derby quickly approaching, according to Forest Service officials, there will be plenty of room for campers and anglers looking for overnight accommodations.

Pioneer Point, Paradise Cove, Hungry Gulch and Boulder Gulch campgrounds are on first-come, first-served basis at $20 per night.  Camp 9 also has plenty of sites available at $17 per night.  In addition, overnight camping is allowed at Auxiliary Dam, Old Isabella Road and the South Fork Recreation Area, with a daily fee of $10 (or $50 for an annual pass).  Passes can be purchased at Golden State Surplus in Lake Isabella, Sierra Gateway Market and Sporting Goods in South Lake, Riverside One Stop Shell, Sierra Gateway Market in Kernville, Red’s Kern Valley Marina, and at the Lake Isabella and Kernville Forest Service offices.  Stine Cove and Hanning Flat are also available for camping and are free of charge.

FOR THE FISHING DERBY WEEKEND ONLY, the Forest Service has agreed to open up additional areas for overnight camping.  These areas include Engineer Point; along  the beach area west of Paradise Cove campground, Kissack Cove; the north and south shoreline of Boulder Gulch and the shoreline between French Gulch Group Area and Boulder Gulch.  For these areas, visitors can begin to set up campsites on Thursday, March 29 at 6:00 A.M.  If visitors set up their campsites earlier they may be cited.  The special camping areas will remain open until Monday, April 2 at 6:00 P.M. Tillie Creek, Tillie Creek Group, Live Oak North, and Live Oak South will remain closed during the derby due to water system repairs in progress.

As a reminder, camping is limited to 14 days out of a 30 day period. Visitors can set up their recreation vehicles in developed campsites prior to the weekend event.  However, visitors must occupy the site and may not leave a vehicle or trailer unoccupied for more than 24 hours.  Extra dumpsters and portable toilets will be placed around the lake for the Derby.  Locations include:  Engineer Point, Stine Cove, Auxiliary Dam, Kissack Cove, South Fork Recreation, Old Isabella, Boulder Gulch, Camp 9, and at the Old Cemetery.  Please make use of these restroom facilities and dumpsters to help keep our Forest looking beautiful.

To get additional information call (760) 379-5236 or visit the Isabella Lake Fishing Derby website at: http://www.isabellafishingderby.com

Follow us on Twitter.. http://twitter.com/fishing_derby, if you have a twitter app on your smartphone, you can stay updated during the event.  You can also find us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/isabella.derby

In Southern California, the route of this National Scenic Trail runs from Campo at the Mexican border up north through the Anza-Borrego State Park, Cleveland National Forest, San Jacinto Mountains and Big Bear Lake. After passing through Lake Arrowhead, Silverwood Lake and Wrightwood, the trail continues north through Agua Dulce and Tehachapi Mountains.

One of the most beautiful stretches of the Pacific Crest Trail is in Central California, which includes stops in Walker Pass, the Kern River, Sequoia National Park and Yosemite National Park.

Finally, in Northern California, the PCT traverses through the Cascade Range, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Mount Shasta and Castle Crags State Park toward the Siskiyou Mountains.

Most thru-hikers are continually sending supplies and food to their next Post Office stop, which is sent to General Delivery. It can cost a Pacific Crest Trail hiker upwards of $5,000 to complete the trail when adding up the price of hiking gear and trail food, not to mention the occasional motel and restaurant.

Let’s face it — most of us aren’t going to be thruhiking the trail anytime soon. Instead, a day hike along the Pacific Crest Trail is the way to go.

Open to pedestrians and horses (no bikes or ATVs), the Pacific Crest Trail is usually hiked in April and May, when temperatures are warm enough to camp, yet most snow has melted. Most serious PCT hikers cover about 20 miles per day.

In Southern California, you can catch portions of the trail in Big Bear or Wrightwood — and still make it home in time for a hot meal and shower.

Wrightwood, a mountain town about 70 miles from L.A., is a popular supply and stopover point for Pacific Crest Trail hikers. And if you’d like a taste of the trail without breaking too much of a sweat, this is a great place to start.

Day-trippers can catch 6 different portions of the Pacific Crest Trail in Wrightwood, ranging from the 4-mile sprint from Inspiration Point to Vincent Gap, to the more challenging 16 1/2-mile trek between Lone Pine Canyon and Guffy Camp.

One of the most family-friendly Pacific Crest Trail hikes is from Grassy Hollow Visitor Center, located about 6 miles north of the village center on Highway 2. A complete list of California day hikes on the Pacific Crest Trail can be found in the book, “Day Hikes on the Pacific Crest Trail: California.”

Remember — don’t go hiking on the Pacific Crest Trail without telling someone where you’re going and packing some basic gear. Happy trails!

The problem is, studies find that only a small portion of U.S. consumers make purchasing decisions based primarily on environmental reasons. And those who do have very diverse reasons: Some buy environmentally products for health reasons, while others hate wasting resources. This article on Harvard Business Review on the different types of green consumers and what they look for further explains.

What ultimately happens is a business chases all sorts of green consumers and loses its focus, its edge. It spends so much time worrying about its green benefits that it forgets about more important aspects of its products such as quality, value and attractive design. More consumers buy products for these reasons than they do environmental ones.

Some companies, think Method cleaning products and New Belgium Brewing, have done a good job of being known for their sustainability efforts without letting it overshadow the brand.

Here are some tips for pulling it off:

Focus on product first: It’s great to be an environmentally conscious brand, but that’s not usually enough to get people to buy. To really compete, your products need to be just as good, effective and beautiful as your competitors’ products – preferably more so. Once you’ve nailed down the things that actually sell products and services, then think about how you can make it green.

Know your customers: What kind of green consumer buys your products and why? Do they buy them because they want to conserve resources, protect wildlife or for health reasons? Understanding who is buying your product and for what reason can help ensure you’re putting out effective messages and marketing.

Don’t overstate the environmental benefits: Consumers are becoming leerier of green marketing and it can create backlash if they realize they’ve been misled. It’s better to focus your marketing on your products’ other benefits. Then explain how the environmental benefits make your them even better. It also helps your green strides feel more authentic.

Steve Cody, 57, is co-founder and managing partner of Peppercom, a mid-size communications agency based in New York. He’s also an amateur stand-up comedian, performing frequently at the New York Comedy Club.

“About five years ago I was suffering through an endless business dinner, when the guy next to me said he performed stand-up when not doing IT,” recalls Cody. Intrigued, he decided to take a course and start performing himself. Soon he noticed a happy crossover to his professional life, where he was employing humor more often, listening more intently to clients and becoming better at holding audiences’ attention during presentations.

Cody wanted his employees to reap the business benefits of comedy too, so he launched a 90-minute comedy workshop for his new recruits and staffers to attend every two months. He says it infuses them with confidence, bonds them with coworkers, teaches the nuances of reading an audience and environment, and livens up their presentations. The new refreshed and fun culture is also helping him secure business. “It’s a point of differentiation,” he says. “When all things are equal, clients will pick the firm they want to work with.”

Are funny people more successful in business? Old-school HR people are quick to say that humor is dangerous in the office: It too easily offends or falls flat. However, researchers and companies alike are beginning to tout the individual and company-wide benefits of a well-placed punch line. Those looking for an edge may want to think more critically about their funny bones.

“Humor has three primary impacts: cognitive, emotional and physiological,” says psychologist Steven Sultanoff, Ph.D., former president of the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor. He explains that workplace humor may offer some perspective on a situation, which helps people process it. After a company leader sent a memo saying they needed to “shrink” a difficult problem, Sultanoff recalls, one employee posted a tiny copy of the memo on a community bulletin board. Also, because we can only feel one emotion at a time, humor creates an emotional lift by displacing frustration with the joy of the joke and a physiological reduction of stress hormones.

Sultanoff says that people who are funny likely will be perceived as more enjoyable and as better employees because they are in fact more successful. “If someone is using humor then they are connecting with people and building relationships, which creates opportunities that other people may not have.”

The secretary of state’s office announced that 511,457 of the 711,307 referendum signatures submitted by the group were those of registered voters, more than the 504,760 needed to qualify.

Because legislative primary elections will be held before November ballots are cast, however, the Supreme Court ruled last month that the contested Senate districts will be used in this year’s balloting.

Twenty of the Senate’s 40 districts are up for grabs this year in districts drawn by an independent citizens commission consisting of five Democrats, five Republicans and four independent or minor-party voters.

Republican leaders contend that the new districts give Democrats a good chance of capturing the two seats necessary to gain a two-thirds supermajority, the margin needed to approve tax or fee increases in that house.

Political analysts of both parties say the lines are not likely to result in a two-thirds majority in the Assembly, so Republicans conceivably could block tax increases there and keep them from reaching the governor’s desk.

Nonetheless, a Democratic supermajority in the upper house would significantly increase that party’s leverage in the Legislature.

The referendum drive by a group calling itself Fairness and Accountability in Redistricting (FAIR) raised about $2.2 million for the drive, much of it from the California Republican Party or from current or former GOP state senators, records show.

Dave Gilliard, a Republican political strategist who led the referendum drive, contends that the new state Senate boundary lines dilute Latino voting clout in parts of the state and violate criteria established by voters in a 2008 ballot measure that created the redistricting commission.

In pushing to kill the new districts at the ballot box, Gilliard’s group hoped to force the state Supreme Court to appoint special masters to draw Senate district lines for use in the 2014 legislative elections.

The strategy conceivably could backfire if the high court drew lines that jeopardized even more GOP seats in the Senate. Gilliard dismissed that possibility Friday.
“I don’t think they could be much worse,” Gilliard said of the commission-drawn lines.

California Republican Party Chairman Tom Del Beccaro declined to say Friday whether the party will finance a November campaign.

“What we’re going to do is look at our resources, look at the issues in front of us, like the spending cap, and over the next sixth months, we are going to decide on exactly how far we should push each individual thing we’re facing,” he said.

Supporting candidates and initiatives that are perceived as popular with voters, such as a proposed spending cap, will be the top priorities, Del Beccaro said.

“The referendum may or may not be tied into that effort,” he said.

The fun filled evening offers gamers plenty of games, great prizes and a delicious corned beef and cabbage dinner. Admission for the evening is $25.00 per person, which includes dinner, five tickets for a drawing and $2,000 in script. ALL script can be cashed in at the end of the evening for prizes!!

We invite everyone to come on out and have some fun playing some great games. There will be music, prizes and more! Some of the games to be played are Texas Hold’em, the Roulette Table, Craps Table, Blackjack Table, Poker Table and Wheel of Fortune! There will be a Texas Hold’em tournament as well! Join the fun and the community for this special event!

Tickets on sale now at Isabella Market, Isabella True Value, Sharon Rooney Farmers Insurance, Kern Valley Sun, the Chamber office, and online at http://www.kernrivervalleychamber.com/casino.html Remember, what happens in Lake Isabella, stays in Lake Isabella!

For more information, please contact the Kern River Valley Chamber of Commerce at (760) 379-5236.

Yes, stolen. According to the IRS, the number of cases of identity theft from tax scammers is on the rise.

One of the most common forms of scamming is phishing through email or texts. The messages vary but their bottom line almost always promises you a tax refund if you take advantage of the scammer’s services simply by clicking on a link and providing some information.

You can find information about tax-related scam at www.irs.gov, but here are some key points to remember.
Don’t provide personal and financial information, such as name, SSN, bank or credit card account numbers or security-related information, such as mother’s maiden name, as a response to the e-mail itself or on a linked site.

The IRS does not offer extra refunds for responding to surveys. The IRS does not do surveys.

According to the IRS web site, you will never receive an email or telephone communication from them requesting personal information. The IRS does business the old fashioned way; though the mail.

The IRS does not threaten people with retaliation or lower refunds if the emails or text messages are ignored.
Be suspicious if the message contains incorrect grammar or odd phrasing.

Don’t bite if you receive a “confirmation phone call” from someone claiming to be an IRS representative who needs to verify your personal and banking information before your tax refund can be released. They may claim the reason verification is needed is because you were previously sent a check that has not been cashed.
The IRS does not send emails about “changes to tax laws” that include a downloadable document (usually in PDF format) that are supposed to explain the new tax laws. These downloads are populated with malware that, once downloaded, will infect your computer.

If you plan to file your taxes online, be sure you have current anti-virus, anti-spyware, and firewall protection installed.

Always check with the BBB at 1-800-675-8118 or www.cencal.bbb.org before you commit to using a tax preparer, even if they are a national company.

Nancy Upham imagines a group of Sierra Club hikers meeting with folks from the California Cattleman’s Association to discuss the issue of grazing in the National Forest. Maybe there are fights, maybe not, but everything gets discussed out in the open.

“Then we watch,” Upham, a Public Affairs Officer for Inyo National Forest, said. From there, the Forest Service knows how to build their policies.

This is the collaborative model behind the U.S. Forest Service’s “Preferred Alternative” (PA) for the future of land management planning within the country’s forest system. The plan will dictate how individual forests manage things like hiking, hunting, road construction and mining.

The whole idea is to air the dirty laundry before litigation happens, in order to cut time and costs by as much as four years and four million dollars, as compared to the 1982 procedures, according to the USFS.

“Given that most plans are immediately litigated, and that the courts move at a glacial speed, the hope is that by front-loading the conversations, many of the contentious issues can be worked out in advance,” said Char Miller, Director of the Environmental Analysis Program at Pomona College.

However, he remained slightly skeptical. “That’s the hope. The reality? We’ll have to watch this play out in the coming months – because if the concept of PA is itself litigated – and I bet it will be – then all bets may be off.”

The Inyo, Sequoia and Sierra – only a few hours away from Los Angeles – are three of eight national forests selected to implement the new planning rule. The others include the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest in Idaho, the Chugach National Forest in Alaska, the Cibola National Forest in New Mexico, El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico.

These forests were selected based on the strong need for plan revision, the benefit of the model to the area and pre-existing collaborative networks.

Upham said Inyo’s most pressing need was updating an outdated policy. “The Inyo National Forest right now is operating off the of the forest plan in 1988. That’s a long time ago!” she laughed. Most Southern California forests work off of a much more recent plans.

Aside from the collaborative aspect of management, the PA incorporates modern science. “It has a focus on science that the [earlier] plan did not,” Upham said.

According to USFS website, this includes the ability to respond to climate change.

The planning rule was submitted to the Federal Register last week, and will likely be finalized in March. “Early adopter forest could plunge into this as early as April,” she said.

Since they are so close to each other some issues will be dealt with at a bio-regional level, and other issues, such as recreation, will be dealt with by each forest, Upham explained.

“There are 14 million acres of national forest at risk of fire in California, so this new approach to forest planning is vital,” said Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-California). “I am encouraged that a new planning rule will build on existing efforts like the one in the Sierra National Forest that bring together scientists, timber harvesters and environmental groups to reduce hazardous fuels. We need more of that type of cooperation to reduce fire risks and prevent harm to people and property.”

So what exactly is everyone haggling over that these “collaborative” dialogues are so needed?

No surprises: Protection versus job creation. For special interest groups, it’s about controlling the battle.

“National environmental organizations are wary of ceding too much authority to local entities, fearing that corporate cutters will be able to launch heavier logging operations with less oversight,” Miller, of Pomona College said.

It is also an issue of state versus federal control. Environmental organizations feel that more local control means a gradual shift of power to the state level. This worry dates all the way back to Gifford Pinchot, President Theodore Roosevelt’s advisor in conservation matters, who became head of the U.S. Division of Forestry in 1898, and has been perennially debated since.

For conservatives, that shift to state control is a good thing. “The Right does not think [the Preferred Alternative] goes far enough, demanding that the states simply take over these lands – appropriate them,” said Miller.

Only a few weeks ago, Colorado Representative Jerry Sonnenberg announced support of a bill that would take the control of a majority of Colorado’s Public Lands away from the government.

However, when coming back to the local level, it’s difficult to find any objection to people having their voice’s heard.

“Local folks, who have been hammering one another for thirty years or more, see this a chance to renegotiate the terms of the longstanding tension between environmental protections and job creation – and are generally pleased that the Forest Service (long a target of their collective, if differing, enmities) has opened up the process as much as it has,” Miller theorized.

“It’s kind of exciting,” Upham agreed enthusiastically. “The only obstacle people have is time. If you truly want to participate in something like this, you have to read documents, get yourself up to speed. We all lead very busy lives.”

If you are up to the challenge, a new federal advisory committee will provide another opportunity to collaborate in National Forest System land management planning. Interested members of the public are encouraged to seek nomination. The call for nominations was published in the Federal Register on January 5, 2012 and will close on February 21, 2012.